The Aftermath
by StumpyTPDimples
Summary: Hawkeye, battered, bloody, beaten and bruised, deals with the events of New York with the help of his long term partner Black Widow. Note; takes place after and loosely based on The Avengers movie.
1. Chapter 1

So, new story. Kinda excited about this one, lads! Honestly was a dream I had last week so lets hope I wrote it ok! Criticism is welcome just as much if not as much as praise. :) Much love!

**DISCLAIMER! I.E; THINGS I DON'T OWN BUT WOULD DESPERATELY LOVE TO OWN!;** I, Tara Louise Anne Perry, own nothing to do with Avengers, Hawkeye, Black Widow, or anything to do with Marvel for that matter! All credit to the amazing mind of the amazing Mr. Stan Lee and his publishers.

* * *

The wall under him was solid, the rubble supporting his back all the more so. Unlike him. New York was in chaos, sure the fighting was finished with, the Chitauri defeated and lying dead at his feet, but the emergency services and military were frantically running around attending to people.

He paid them no attention. He was beaten, bruised, bloody, exhausted, and above all; guilt stricken. Clint Barton was a broken man in a broken city.

He had to think about how he got here, sitting on one of the only remaining walls in the city. He had glass sticking from his back from crashing through the window, though he hadn't noticed it yet. He had a terrible headache and it was clear from the matted hair on the back of his head that he was busted open. His shoulder ached, no doubt a bit of damage done, his ribs hurt, and he could go on about the injuries but the list of what wasn't intact would be a lot shorter.

Who actually won today? That's all that he could think of as he sat there, his bow on his lap and his empty quiver on his back. He looked around when he heard Hulk give an almighty roar, faintly hearing Stark in the coms set he still had in his ear afterwards.

The Chitauri lay lifeless, that's what they'd consider a victory. But as he looked around at the fire, rubble, and destruction he could tell there were no winners in this little conflict. And what's worse is it's his entire fault. He had the opportunity to stop Loki the second he set foot on Earth, but he was too weak minded and was so easily compromised. It sickened him.

"Don't do that to yourself, Clint." He could hear Natasha's voice as clear as day, as if it was transmitted through his coms like Stark's ramble about shawarma was right now. He quickly shook his head to try get rid of thoughts before something hit him. Natasha.

He looked around frantically, adrenaline making him stand up. He was disorientated and couldn't figure out how to find out if she was ok. Of course, he has his coms, but his mind was so messed up after the past few days that he couldn't think to use them. So, he started walking, ignoring queries by military officials as to what business he had going past the blockades set up. Their excuses ranged from they were ordered to their just trying to help the civilians. The latter was said so many times, it eventually made his snap.

"You say you help the people!?" He snapped at one young officer trying to keep him back. "Look around you! While you hid like cowards we risked everything to help!"

The young man was gobsmacked at Clint's outburst, so he just let him through. He walked with his bow in his hand, one arrow now in his quiver since he ripped it from a Chitauri's chest as he passed.

"Eh… Legolas…?" Tony's startled and somewhat approachful voice said over the coms. Barton stopped, holding the earpiece in its place.

"Position, agent." Steve's calmer voice added, causing Barton to look around.

"About two blocks from Stark's tower." He answered through a sigh, and started heading there even before Rogers told him to.

"Clint..? Are you ok..?" Romanoff's voice came through, earning a smile from the male in question. She was alive and sounded well. He waited until he was walking into the lobby of Starks tower and into the elevator before replying.

"Now? Never better."

The elevator doors opened up to the destroyed room at the top of the tower. He gave a weak smile to Natasha and went over to her, noting the unconscious Loki at her feet.

The two assassins said nothing, they just hugged eachother tightly. Barton didn't care about the pain it caused him, his partner had survived the fight with nothing more than what seemed to be a little gash on her forehead.

She was still there with him, still around, still there to be his partner, to tease him, to help him, to be a friend.

He always wanted that bit more though..

They looked over to the elevator when the doors opened again, Thor Stark and Rogers walking out from it with Hulk currently climbing the side of the building.

"None lost. That's good." Thor noted in his unusually cheery voice. It was after a battle, a successful battle, Barton couldn't help but think if that's worth celebrating on Asgard, a barely won fight.

When a sound came from Loki, Clint acted on instinct. He hadn't noticed it, but Natasha's arm was around his waist supporting him. He probably looked unsteady to her. Either way, he moved to kneel next to Loki and careful draw the remaining arrow back on the bow. It was aimed right at the defeated God's face as the other Avengers gather around him.

"If it's all the same to you.." The Asgardian started, grunting slightly as he shifted his position, "I'll have that drink now."

How Barton wanted to send that arrow through that smug bastards eye.


	2. Chapter 2

Just so you know, this story will be updated in batches of two; 1st in Clints perspective, next in Romanoffs. So, enjoy! :)

**DISCLAIMER! I.E; THINGS I DON'T OWN BUT WOULD DESPERATELY LOVE TO OWN!;** I, Tara Louise Anne Perry, own nothing to do with Avengers, Hawkeye, Black Widow, or anything to do with Marvel for that matter! All credit to the amazing mind of the amazing Mr. Stan Lee and his publishers.

* * *

The portal was closed and he hadn't come back. That smug little idiot of a genius hadn't made it. Natasha Romanoff watched with held breath for something, any sign that Stark was ok.

Just when she was about to give up, a shiny yellow and red suit started falling from the sky. She let out a relieved laugh, something she never did before but, then again, she never fought aliens or met gods before. Gods.. One of which was in the very building she was standing on.

She looked down and squinted to see the captain, the hulk, the god, and the self-proclaimed philanthropist all alive and well. She was glad.

She looked to Doctor Selvig who was on the roof with her and gave a curt nod.

"Thank you for your help, Doctor. If you go out to the street past the barricades there should be medical huts." She said in her usual calm demeanour, to which the older gentleman nodded and headed off.

She headed into the building when she felt it safe to do so, mainly to guard the God inside, but also because she just couldn't face the ruined city any longer. She had been on many missions, been thought a lot, seen many ruined places, but seeing such a proud city demolished so easily got to her.

She gave a little amused laughed at the sound of Stark asking for Shawarma over her ear piece. Always the joker, though he did save everyone with his little stunt so she shouldn't tease him.

She got herself a bottle of water and stood, sceptre in one hand, bottle in the other, watching the defeated God incase he awoke.

It was a few moments before the cracky voice of her partner came over the coms.

"You say you help the people!?" He snapped, the tone of his voice causing the Black Widow's eyes to widen slightly. "Look around you! While you hid like cowards we risked everything to help!"

He never sounded like that. Sure, he got angry sometimes, especially on missions when one target wouldn't give info or when some bullshit orders were given to him. But he just snapped at, what she assumed was, someone innocently trying to do their best to help.

She faintly heard the little exchange between Stark, Rogers and her partner. She waited a moment or two, eyes on Loki as she thought about everything. Did Loki fuck up her partners head more than she thought? Maybe he was just tired. She knows they didn't sleep when under Loki's control; each person under it was forced to work all through the day and night to get things ready for the invasion. She prayed then that it was just exhaustion.

"Clint..? Are you ok..?" She said softly into her receiver, afraid of him snapping again. She knew she should call him Hawkeye while on mission, but she was worried about him. Not that she'd ever say it to him, but he was the most vulnerable of the lot. She had trained for years of her life in combat and barely felt any pain right now, Steve was a super soldier who could recover in seconds, Thor a God, Hulk a monster and Stark protected by a suit of armour. But The Hawk? He was the best marksman around but if he got into a close fight with those aliens, aliens who were strong enough to even hurt Thor, then she worried for his safety.

His soft almost happy reply surprised her. "Now? Never better."

How she wished that was the case. When the elevator doors opened to reveal him, she was gobsmacked at the way he looked. How he was walking, she didn't know. He was pale and wobbling slightly, though she couldn't see the worse damages being the shards in his back, the gash on his head and the bruising beneath his shirt.

She was by Loki so she hoped he thought that the reason she wasn't moving was to guard the God. The real reason was she was in shock. He'd been shot before, hurt before, rendered unconscious for days at a time on her watch, but she was always there for those battles. This time, he went off looking fine and healthy and came back like this.

They hugged. And she clung to him. She needed that familiarity, the warmth he always had, to remind her that he wasn't going anywhere.

Wasn't going anywhere..? Why was she thinking like that? So what if he did, people can make their own minds up, she was left enough times to feel nothing.

But even though she wanted it to stop, she couldn't help but shale the hurt at the mere thought that he could be gone from her life.

They looked over to the elevator when the doors opened again, Thor Stark and Rogers walking out from it with Hulk currently climbing the side of the building.

"None lost. That's good." Thor noted in his unusually cheery voice. It was after a battle, a successful battle, of course he was happy. When Barton turned and wobbled she had to put her arm around his waist to help him.

A sound came from Loki, and Clint slowly left her side. She was worried he'd fall, but maybe it was just the spin that made him dizzy. He moved to kneel next to Loki and carefully drew the remaining arrow back on the bow. It was aimed right at the defeated God's face as the other Avengers gather around him.

"If it's all the same to you.." The Asgardian started, grunting slightly as he shifted his position, "I'll have that drink now."

She wondered then and there, if Barton would allow her stab him with the arrow.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry it's been so long! Deleted all the chapters I had written for this so I had to start all over again :( You have NO idea how pissed off I was! I was so happy with it!

Anyways, doesn't matter, re-writing it so hopefully it'll still be somewhat good. :)

If you know me as a writer, you know I reply to comments here! So; one today!

Mzzmarie; I'll be honest, I was hoping it would work out right! Y'see, couldn't figure out if I wanted to write it in Hawk's or Widow's point of view. So, one night while trying to choose, I realised both could be done!  
Anyways, yeah, thank you! :P

As always, review and tell me how shit I am so I can improve!

Thanking you muchly!

**DISCLAIMER! I.E; THINGS I DON'T OWN BUT WOULD DESPERATELY LOVE TO OWN!;** I, Tara Louise Anne Perry, own nothing to do with Avengers, Hawkeye, Black Widow, or anything to do with Marvel for that matter! All credit to the amazing mind of the amazing Mr. Stan Lee and his publishers.

* * *

The cube that caused all the devastation just outside the window was placed in front of the defeated God. Thor stepped back next to Banner, who had shrunk down to his human form and was watching the cube curiously, as were the other Avengers. Barton couldn't help but wonder why Thor would place such a destructive force so close to the guy who used said force to level New York.

Before he could ask, however, the cube shot up beams to the ceiling around Loki, trapping him inside a cube of pure energy.

All bar Thor and Loki jumped slightly from shock.

"I so need one of those.." Stark noted with a slight grin, walking around the little prison of sorts to examine it.

Barton paid no attention to Tony, who was listing off things he could do with just a little bit of the cube in his suit.

No. The marksman was too busy staring at the Trickster God. Loki's gaze was down cast though.

Normally, Barton would be happy at that, if it was the normal "Shit, my ass has been royally handed to me!" downcast gaze.

It was not. Not in the slightest. The slight smile on Loki's face, the way he simply sat cross legged in the middle of his prison, the fact that he looked better right now than Barton. The only reason the former Asgardian wasn't looking at them was because he still felt superior.

Clint growled and balled his hands into fists. That smug bastard didn't even care about how many lives he destroyed!

His wounds weren't tended to yet. The other Avengers were more or less intact, the worst injury between all of them being the slight gash on Natasha's head. Even that had stopped bleeding by that time.

Barton was too proud a man to admit his injuries. So, he was sticking it out. He still had the shards in his back, still had a thumping headache, a shoulder ache, again; the list goes on and on. But he'd admit none of them to the others.

Without realising it, he was alone in the small room with the prisoner. The others had left the room to get themselves settled; he was just too lost in his thoughts to realise.

He stayed staring at the defeated man in front of him, his arms folded across his chest as he stared.

"The one with heart doesn't speak..?" Loki asked after about ten minutes alone, his gaze still diverted elsewhere. "He was a very chatty asset when under my control."

Barton didn't have to answer him. If anything, Loki had to answer them.

"Tell me.. What troubles you..?" He adds with a smirk, finally eyeing the assassin up and down. "The war is won. I've been defeated. Why not celebrate like the others?"

"Do you even care?" Clint asked quietly, glaring at the God as he spoke. "You destroyed thousands of lives, put people through hell, and risked the Earth, all for what? An ego boost?"

Loki just stared now; Barton was slightly unhinged by it. Those eyes just freaked him out. Suddenly, the trickster let out a laugh.

"I've seen you, Clint. Seen the real you. Your past, your fears, your triumphs, your pit falls.." He listed off, leaning slightly before saying the last part. "Your loves.. I know you're not a fighter, no, no. Far from it. You'd rather be at a range with a target and a bow like those old circus days of yours.."

Clint looked down awkwardly. Not a lot of people know about his time before SHIELD. His family, how he survived without parents, how he got by. He hoped no one was around to hear Loki because he really didn't want to explain that comment.

The difference in Clint's demeanour was easily picked up by the God. It gave him great enjoyment watching him squirm.

"So, what was it then..?" He asks casually, his head tilted slightly to the side. "Was it that other love that convinced you to wade into the fight..? Did this other love need to be protected..?"

"Shut your mouth.." Clint muttered under his breath, his hands now at his side formed into fists. He should just leave, get out of the room and leave the God in his solitude. But his body just wouldn't let him. "You don't know me.. You have no ri.."

He was cut off by Loki's booming laugh. God, that sound annoyed the living daylights out of the agent!

"I don't know you? Is that what you think?" He asks with a grin, shaking his head in amusement. "I think I know you better than you know yourself!"

Clint just shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned to leave.

"Tell me, my warrior friend.." Loki said when Barton got to the door, causing the latter man to stop dead in his tracks. "Phil Coulson.. Noble man.. Why has he not appeared yet..?"

Clint raised an eyebrow at this. Coulson? He had no clue why he wouldn't show up to help in the fight. Hawk turned back to look at the God, and eyebrow raised in confusion.

"They haven't told you..?" Loki smirked, leaning back on his hands in a relaxed manner. "Oh this will be fun.. May I have some popcorn for when they do..?"

Barton got a sick twisting feeling in his stomach at those words. Told him what, exactly? He took out his phone and dialled Coulson's number, holding it to his ear as he waited. The smirk on Loki's face grew with each attempt.

"Quite a few agents were killed during my little attack, Clint.." Loki commented during Clint's seventh attempt at reaching Coulson. "Philip was close to you, a mentor.. A friend.."

Barton lowered his phone and narrowed his eyes.

Coulson was the one who was always there for him at SHIELD, the one who helped him and trained him. The one who listened to his problems and stood by him. When he made the call not to kill Natasha, Coulson was the one in his corner defending him. Barton dare say that Coulson was a father to him.

He was always there and would always be there for him.

It was that very thought that made the next words Loki spoke make Clint's blood run cold.

"That's why I took great pleasure in stopping his heart."


	4. Chapter 4

Widow's POV! Enjoy! :)

**DISCLAIMER! I.E; THINGS I DON'T OWN BUT WOULD DESPERATELY LOVE TO OWN!;** I, Tara Louise Anne Perry, own nothing to do with Avengers, Hawkeye, Black Widow, or anything to do with Marvel for that matter! All credit to the amazing mind of the amazing Mr. Stan Lee and his publishers.

* * *

The cube that caused all the devastation just outside the window was placed in front of the defeated God. Thor stepped back next to Banner, who had shrunk down to his human form and was watching the cube curiously, as were the other Avengers.

Natasha was pretty confused, but then again, she always was when it came to that block of power.

When the cube shot up beams to the ceiling around Loki, trapping him inside a cube of pure energy, she jumped from surprised, just like all the others unfamiliar with it's powers. She hummed in an understanding sort of way. So it could be used for other things then..

"I so need one of those.." Stark noted with a slight grin, walking around the little prison of sorts to examine it.

"For what, exactly?" She asked with her arms folded across her chest, watching as the billionaire examined the prison. Time for her to tease him like all the other times! "Trapping dates because you're too useless to get them?"

"Cute." Tony relied in his usual bored tone, the one he uses when she teases. It's how she knows she got to him! "Just imagine how even the slightest chunk of that in my suit could improve it.. So much easier to trap people.."

"No, metalman." Thor commented with a frown, stopping Stark as he was about to touch the wall of energy. "The Tesseract and everything to do with it are to be taken back to Asgard."

"We still have work to do on it." Stark argued with a frown, not liking his toy being taken away.

"OUT OF THE QUESTION! Look what that work drew to Earth!" The God of Thunder yelled, up in Starks face now.

This group was going to erupt one day.. And Romanoff will be there with a camera when it does!

"Alright, break it up!" Rogers shouted at the two males, causing both to look at him. "We all need to calm down. Fighting now would be useless."

"Steve's right." Banner added, Natasha noting that he was watching Clint.

She looked to her partner and frowned slightly. He hasn't said a word about any of this, and he refused to let Dr. Banner look him over. She'd talk to him later about everything.

"Come on then.. I'll show you where you'll each be staying." Tony said quietly, leading all the Avengers out of the room holding Loki.

They were in the lower parts of Stark Tower, the parts that were pretty much intact. No one argued with the idea of staying here. Tony glanced back at Romanoff and smirked. "You'll find my bed surprisingly comfy, Agent Romanoff."

"Keep dreaming, big boy." She replied with a slight laugh. He was still the joker, even in these situations. She found it oddly refreshing.

When they were shown to their rooms, each person freshened up. Tony managed to get some soldiers to bring spare clothes, so they were all changed into something clean and comfortable.

Natasha was in the sitting area right now, relaxing back. Banner came in and smiled at her, sitting in the chair opposite her.

"No injuries?" He asked softly, his hands fiddling in the nervous way they did. She had always wondered why he did that.

"No, thankfully." She replied with a shake of her head, pulling a bit of her hair aside though. "Just a slight cut, that's all really."

"Good.." the doctor smiled, watching the floor now. "We have to get Barton checked.."

"Why..?" She asked cautiously, he was her partner, if something was ever wrong with him she'd be worried as hell.

"Not see him? He can barely stand." He noted with a questioning tone. The one that always made Natasha feel like a child. "He's not a monster, not a God, not a super soldier, not trained to fight and kill, and he doesn't have a suit of armor.. If I'm honest, I'm surprised he survived at all."

She had a thought about that. Barton was a good agent, an amazing fighter, but Banner had a good point. Natasha was brought up fighting, hell when she was young she fought her way through twenty men and barely got a scratch. But Barton grew up sheltered. As far as she knew, at least. The only training he ever had was basic SHIELD and his weapon training.

"I'll send him over to you later, if that's ok." She said in her usual neutral tone.

"That'll be fine. Can't be as bad as what I've seen in the past few years." He said with a nervous chuckle, causing Natasha to give a little smile. He did have it rough working out in the middle of no where, disease ridden places that no one would even think existed. She was surprised he never caught anything actually.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?" She suddenly heard being yelled, causing her and Banner to jump to their feet and run towards the room Loki was being held in.

That shout was Barton, she'd know his angry voice anywhere, she's heard it plenty of times on missions before after all. She just hoped he wouldn't do something stupid.


End file.
